This blog is a pretty accurate representation of who I am in real life. I don’t worry about the number of hits I get here (though WordPress really wants me to bump up my SEO!) and I write for myself just as much as I write for anyone that may stumble across this blog. I hope I make readers smile once in a while.
When I started my radio gig in the early 1990s I was told that I need to “look a little more modern” for my publicity shots. I grew out my flattop, wore clothes from places like Filene’s and Jordan Marsh, and wore a Swatch watch on my wrist. It wasn’t really me but I suppose you have to have a certain look when you’re on radio (he writes ironically). There’s a certain style one must have when you’re giving away the grand prize of a Mother’s Day Promotion – a vacuum cleaner at a local dealer’s shop. Draw the number and listen for the squeals of delight.
I didn’t maintain my “radio look” for very long and I went back to flattop and my own look after a year or so. It was much more comfortable. I didn’t really feel comfortable in my own skin until I was in my very early 50s. I’m more me than I’ve ever been and that’s good.
One of the things I like about Mastodon as a social media platform (versus Twitter, Facebook, and all the other corporately algorithmic doom scrolling machines) is it feels like more people are much more genuine. I feel comfortable engaging with the folks I meet in that space. It’s all nice to see so many familiar faces moving over from Twitter. There’s no algorithm to game so there’s not as many people engaging in tricks to game the stream. Many folks dependent on the monetary gain, dopamine hits, etc. dependent on these games are declaring Mastodon, and the Fediverse in general, a lost cause. Probably because they don’t know who they need to be to get the recognition they’re craving.
I’m fine with that. If this was that Black Mirror episode “Nose Dive”, I’d definitely be the Cherry Jones truck driver character.
And that’s awesome.
